Natives

Long before the first European settlers arrived in North America, native people were living on the prairies of what is now southern Alberta. Before white settlement, the Blackfoot people called themselves the sawk-itapi or prairie people. Three tribes, the Blackfoot (sik-si-kah), the Blood (kai-nah), and the Peigan (apikuni), made up the Blackfoot people. They lived a nomadic life, roaming the plains in the summer and spending the winter in river valleys. They used pronghorn, deer, elk, and berries and especially buffalo for food. They also used the hides of the animals they killed for clothing and shelter. The Blackfoot were a proud and independent people who controlled the land from the Red Deer River in the North to the Wyoming River in the South from the Rocky Mountains to the present-day border with Saskatchewan. At the height of their power there were over 20 000 Blackfoot people.

P19641141000-GP Ceremonial hatchet that dates back to 1800. The hatchet would have been used by fur traders when trading with the natives

When the first white traders came to the West during the 1700's, the lives of the Blackfoot people began to change. The Blackfoot had little contact with white people at first, but they did have contact with other Indian tribes who did trade with European traders. Because of this, the Blackfoot were exposed to new diseases such as smallpox. In 1781 alone, over half of the native population was killed by the disease. The Blackfoot also began to trade for European goods. They traded buffalo skins for things like pots, pans, knives, axes, clothing, and tobacco. To obtain these goods, the Blackfoot began to hunt for more buffalo than they needed for food and shelter. When they began to use horses and guns, they could kill more buffalo than ever before. This gave them more material possessions and leisure time. They began to develop the Sun Dance Ceremony more and more during this period. At first every thing was acceptable for the natives, but when the buffalo herds ran out and could no longer support the needs of the Blackfoot, the situation soon changed. The Blackfoot also began to fight with other natives tribes who were also trying to obtain goods from European traders. In 1837, smallpox killed two-thirds of the Blackfoot and Blood Tribes. At this time, there were no white traders or settlers in the land of the Blackfoot, but they had already changed the lives of the Blackfoot people forever.

P19738948000-GA Monitor Peace Pipe is a ceremonial pipe which is believed to have been used by the Peigan tribe during the 1880's.

In the last decades of the 1800's, white people from Canada and the United States were becoming interested in the land of the Blackfoot. Two traders, called Healy and Hamilton, moved up from Montana in order to trade with the natives around what is now southern Alberta. At Fort Hamilton they traded rot-gut whiskey for buffalo robes and hides. These two traders were so successful that 41 trading forts were set up in the next three years, including the infamous Fort Whoop-up The traders were often dishonest, trading impure and dangerous whiskey for buffalo hides. This trade caused the buffalo in the area to be hunted to the point of extinction. It also caused a great deal of conflict between the traders and the natives as well as between the different native tribes. It was this illegal whiskey trade, and the problems that it caused that prompted the Canadian government to send the North West Mounted Police to southern Alberta in 1874.

P19698933001-GA Moccasins, the traditional footwear of the Blackfoot Indians.

The Blackfoot people had been weakened by disease and had abandoned most of their traditional lifestyle by the end of the 1860's. Then, in 1869 one-third of the Blood tribe was killed by yet another smallpox epidemic. They were also attacked the following year by their traditional enemies, the Cree. They managed to win this battle with the help of a group of Peigan who happened to be camped on the other side of the Belly River. This battle in 1870, between the Bloods and the Cree was the last major conflict to take place between two native tribes in southern Alberta.

Although they won this last battle, the Bloods and the rest of the Blackfoot people were in poor condition during the 1870's. Disease had reduced their numbers to between 2000 and 3000. Their traditional way of living was gone, and their most important food source, the buffalo, was quickly disappearing. Although the Blackfoot never lost their spirit of independence and pride, they were on the brink of starvation. Realizing that the arrival of white settlers had made their way of life no longer possible, the Blackfoot tried reach an agreement with the government of Canada in order to ensure their survival. They gave up most of their traditional hunting territory in return for a relatively small amount of land on an Indian Reserve. The government also agreed to give the natives a yearly payment, as well as assistance with education and agriculture. The Peigans were the last to agree to a treaty with the government in and, in 1882, established themselves on a reserve west of Fort Macleod.

P19739452000-GA Native Shoulder Bag, this bag was given away by a Blood woman whose children had died of smallpox in 1892.

The rest of the Blackfoot people, including the Bloods, made their initial treaty with the government in 1877. The treaty provided the Bloods with a reserve that would have five people per square mile. The government also promised to give each of the 2200 Bloods a payment of five dollars each year. The Blood were also to receive assistance in education and agriculture. But over the next six years, the Bloods did not settle on their reserve. They continued to follow the remaining buffalo herds across southern Alberta and Montana. In 1883, the buffalo were almost completely extinct and the Bloods faced starvation. They had no choice but to go to their new reserve. They quickly found out that the land that they had been given along the Belly River was extremely dry and unsuitable for farming. They asked the government if they could change the location of their reserve. In 1883, their treaty was amended to give them the land to the southwest of Lethbridge. It was and still is the largest Indian reserve in Canada.

P19651477000-GA This cradle bag was the way in which Blackfoot women would carry children. This bag dates from around 1910.

The Bloods began to adapt to a new way of life on the reserve. In the first years, they grew potatoes and turnips with a great deal of success. Within a few years, they were no longer dependent upon government rations. In the 1880's, the Roman Catholics and Anglican churches began missions on the Blood reserve in an attempt to educate the Bloods and convert them to Christianity. Large scale agriculture began in 1907 and the Blood were able to grow a number of grains on the land of the reserve. A hay company and a coal mine both came into operation during this time. The Bloods also began to have cattle operations on the vast land of the settlement. As white settlers moved into the surrounding area, they began to look to the rich land of the Blood Reserve as an area for settlement. Local businessmen, farmers, and government officials all pressured the Bloods to give up part of their reserve. Referendums were held in 1907, 1917, and 1918 to decide whether the tribe would give up any of its land. None of them were successful and the Bloods held on to all of their land. Despite the results, some cattle operators in the Cardston area used acres of reserve land for grazing without the Bloods permission.

P19641155000-GA, A handmade beaded vest worn that was made in southern Alberta.

The Bloods seemed to make a good transition from their old nomadic lifestyle to a new life of farming and ranching. Yet, disease took its toll on the reserve, and by 1920 there were only 1100 Bloods left. At the same time, new farm machinery was being used by white farmers in the area, and the Bloods were unable to keep up with the technological and economic changes in agriculture. In the decades that followed, the reservation had to deal with many social and economic problems, as well as racial prejudice. They also did not have much control over the affairs of their colony because the federal government controlled much of the reserve’s administration.

Things began to change for the Bloods in the 1960's and 1970's. In 1964 democratic reforms forced the tribe’s leadership to face election every two years. Shortly after, much of the reserve’s administration including public works, social services, and land usage came under direct native authority. The Bloods began to regain control of their community. In the years that followed, important aboriginal businesses like Blackfoot Radio and Kainai Homes emerged.

This cultural and economic development on the Blood Reserve has continued to this day. The natives of southern Alberta still face many challenges in regaining control of their destiny, but the pride and independence that the Blackfoot have always shown are reason to be optimistic for their future.